Home Our Cultura Diaspora 8 Surprising Facts About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

8 Surprising Facts About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AOC Feature
Photo Credit ocasiocortez2018.com

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 14th District, has shown unparalleled strength and wisdom. This Latina of Puerto Rican roots garnered nationwide media attention for being herself, saying things bluntly, and working for her community. Sympathetic, empathetic, strong and honest are some qualities that this millennial has proven to be. Despite being mocked by her own colleagues, AOC has always remained firm in her goal, has defended her position as if her life depended on it and in many occasions has left her detractors speechless.

Ocasio-Cortez is definitely a key figure in the politics of the United States, but there are still many facts about her that not everyone knows. We wanted to investigate a little more about her life, what she likes, her impact, her past, and this is what we discovered. 

8 AOC Loves Gardening

Photo Credit Twitter @AOC

Ocasio-Cortez revealed through a video on her Instagram account she had won in a raffle a four-foot-square community garden plot. The Bronx native never hides her amazement and regularly keeps all her followers informed of what is growing in the urban community garden. Her energy and joy is contagious and whenever AOC can, she encourages the people to be part of this activity. “I am shook. Like honestly, gardening, food that comes out of dirt… like it’s magic! This is so exciting!” she said

7 Her First Speech as a Representative Set the Record as C-SPAN’s Most-Watched Twitter Video

Photo Credit Twitter @CSPAN

According to Time magazine, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s first speech as a member of the Congress garnered 1.16 million views in less than 13 hours. C-SPAN’s communications director informed via Twitter that AOC broke the record and is to date the only member of House either party that has done this. 

6 She is a Social Media Maven 

Photo Credit Twitter @AOC

AOC arrived at the House of Representatives with a large social media presence. As reported by The Guardian, Ocasio-Cortez is so popular on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook that the 29-years-old social media rockstar was appointed by her colleagues to teach them social media lessons upon her arrival in Congress. 

5 She’s All About Her Family Tree

Photo Credit Twitter @TalyKrupkin

Although she does not practice the faith, during the 2018 Hanukkah celebrations, the New York Democrat revealed her ancestors were also Jewish. By doing family trees she discovered that she descended from Jews who fled Spain during the Spanish Inquisition “One of the things that we discovered about ourselves is that a very, very long time ago, generations and generations ago, my family consisted of Sephardic Jews,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Some of those people landed in Puerto Rico.” 

4 Alexandria is Not Only a Star, She’s Also a Planet!

After winning the second-place in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory named the asteroid 23238 Ocasio-Cortez after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

3 She is a Star Trek Aficionado 

Photo Credit Twitter @AOC

Ocasio-Cortez has a strong connection with the galaxy. “As a kid, my parents let me stay up late to watch Captain Janeway lead her crew home through desperate straits, while lost in the galaxy,” she wrote in a tweet.  

2 She Worked for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Ted Kennedy

Photo Credit J Pat Carter/Getty Images

While studying at Boston University, AOC worked handling foreign affairs and immigration casework for constituent families at the office of the late Sen. Kennedy. During Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential Campaign, Ocasio-Cortez worked as an organizer. 

1 She’s an Unapologetic Pioneer

Photo Credit IG @ocasio2018
When we organize, we win. ✊🏽
Art by @sogayjen

As reported in Ocasio 2018, Alexandria is the first NY-14 Democratic challenger in a generation; she’s also the first NY-14 candidate to run without any lobbyist money in modern history, it means that supporters from all over New York worked as volunteers to collect thousands of signatures. AOC is the first woman of color to run in NY-14.

Exit mobile version